The Ironsong Tribe

Slowly Aracna crept into the bedroom, careful not to wake Firvan. She came home late again and he slept so rarely she dared not wake him. Carefully she removed her heavy mail armor and put on a soft comfortable dress. Another late night at the citadel took her from her home. Something to eat first, then to bed. Walking down the hallway she peered into the nursery to check on Dannion, he was awake standing in his crib playing with Rasha who was sitting on her haunches and gently batting at the child. “Hey there.” She smiled and walked in the room. Dannion’s eyes light up and he smiles back.

“Mommy!” He hands reached for her. She picked him up happily and got a little hug, “I miss’t you.”

“I Missed you too sweetie.” She kissed his cheek and sat down in the rocking chair stretching her legs.

“You’re up late.”

“I was waiting for you.” He fiddled with her necklace, “Where do you go?”

“It’s a long story, hun.” He stared at her waiting for her to continue. She thought for a moment, there’s a good lesson for him here. “OK. It all started a long time ago. There was a human prince and his people loved him. But he wanted more power. He became corrupt and took a very dark path. He led armies of undead and killed people, all with the promise of more power. He destroyed cities and nations. He nearly killed our people. You know I talk about your grandfather? He died because of that, grandmother too…he nearly killed me as well.” He nodded following along. “Well it turns out this darkness that he worked for tricked him and his reward was to be doomed. He became known as the Litch King; Undead himself leading hordes of other undead to destroy the world. A few times a week I go to where he is, a great citadel in Icecrown; where I and others go to kill him. He is well guarded and it’s very tough. I spend many days in between training to make sure I’m my very best; because he needs to pay for the deeds he has done.” She bit her lower lip. “He’s like you Danny. You have so much power already and so much potential. If you get corrupted like he did people will come to kill you for what you do with it.”

“They want to now.” He looked up at her.

“Some do yes, out of fear of your potential. But you know we won’t let them.” He nodded. “Do you know what a promise is?”

“Yea.”

“I need you to promise me that whenever you do something you stop and think about it first. Follow your heart, it’ll never steer you wrong. You need to think about the consequences of what you do. Everything you do will have a consequence. Do you understand?”
“I promisss.”

She kissed him again, “Thank you.” His fingers found a worn leather thread and he tugged on it to pull out a long necklace with a small wooden head of a hawkstrider dangling from the end of it.

“What’s this?” He fiddled with it.

She smiled looking down at it, “That’s a toy from when I was little. I made it into a necklace so Rasha would stop putting it on my pillow. My father made it. It used to be whole and covered with white feathers.”

“Oh?”

“Once I saw a parade with our Prince in the center and he rode a beautiful white hawkstrider. I really wanted one but your grandfather said it was only for the prince; special just for him. Then on by birthday he gave this to me, he made it himself and used the feathers of that bird. I lost in the war. But Rasha found it and brought it back to me…this piece anyway. It’s the only thing in my family that survived the war besides me and your uncle.”

“But you have the hawkstider, Boogie.”

“Yea that’s what I named him. I went later and got him from the Prince; it was very hard but he’s ours now.” She sighed looking at her son, “Our Prince became corrupted like the human one did, and I had to kill him too.”

“Consquences.” He nodded. “You look tired.”

She smiled, “I am.”

“Then go to bed!” He said sternly.

“OK.” She put him down, “You play nicely with Rahsa and Ruse. No fel fire, no summoning your imp…or anything else. Ok?”

“OK.” He stumbled over to his toys and began playing happily. Aracna slowly left the room. She left the door open.

“If you need me just come and wake me.” He nodded not looking up. She quickly went to the kitchen and grabbed her snack then peeked in on Dannion again before finally crawling into bed. Firvan woke slightly and wrapped his arm around her. “Hey.” He smiled sleepily.

“Go back to sleep.”

“That imp...chewed through the barn door today.” He yawned, “I was gonna fix it in the morning.”

“This is you not sleeping.” She smiled.

He chuckled slightly and kissed her. “Goodnight, dear.”

“Goodnight.”